


Let's See What Needles Do

by pinkevilbob



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 09:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21508573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/pseuds/pinkevilbob
Summary: The Mighty Nein gets communication earrings and it's great. Except for Caleb.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre & Caleb Widogast, Nott & Caleb Widogast
Comments: 16
Kudos: 260





	Let's See What Needles Do

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this may count as minor body horror involving piercings. If that sounds like something that's not your cup of tea, you'll probably want to skip this one.
> 
> Also thanks to Kiley for helping me figure this one out back when episode 77 first aired. And the title comes from the song "Bandages" by Hot Hot Heat, which is such a Caleb song.

“Next!” Jester called out into the hall of Xhorhaus.

Nott waved at Jester. “You just got me and Caleb left.” The small goblin cheerfully entered the dining room with Caleb in tow. Caleb had a distant look in his eyes and stayed close to Nott.

“You ready?” Cad asked holding up a fresh needle to a flame. The Mighty Nein had gotten their hands on communication earrings, which meant that they all needed to replace an earring or get a new piercing. Jester liked all of her sets of earrings, so she decided to add another another one so she didn’t have to swap any out.

Nott hopped up on the table and turned her ear to Cad. “Can you go high up on this one?”

Cad nodded. “How high do you want it?”

“Just below the cartilage, right here.” Nott point to a spot on her ear. “It barely hurts at all if it’s not piercing the cartilage,” Nott said very loudly.

“I know,” Cad said.

Nott nodded. “There’s nothing to worry about at all. It’s fun getting your ears pierced.” Her voice kept getting louder.

“Are you nervous, Nott?” Jester asked. “I’m going to numb your ear with some ice, so there’s no reason to be scared.”

“Oh, did you hear that Caleb? They have ice so it will be numb,” Nott said in an incredibly exaggerated fashion.

Caleb stood off to the side looking noticeably pale. “Oh, that’s good.”

“We’re not going to hurt Nott, Caleb,” Jester said. “She’s in good hands.”

“That’s right,” Nott said.

Caleb smiled weakly and nodded.

Jester took an ice cube and rubbed it against Nott’s ear where she had asked for her new piercing. Once Jester took the ice cube away, Cad stabbed Nott’s ear with the heated needle and twisted the needle a couple of times before taking it out. Moving quickly, Jester stuck the communication earring into place.

“Leave that in there for about a month and don’t touch it,” Cad said. “I’ll check on it in the mornings to make sure that it heals good.”

“Thanks!” Nott said with a pasted on smile. “That didn’t hurt at all. You’re both really good at this.”

Cad shrugged. “Me and my siblings did this all the time when we were bored.”

“See. Cad’s very experienced with this and there’s nothing to worry about,” Nott said.

Cad leaned over and whispered to Jester. “I think she’s trying to calm Caleb down?”

Jester giggled. “She’s totally trying to calm him down.” She leaned over towards Caleb. “Are you ready for your turn?”

“Ja, I, yes, I’m ready,” Caleb said nodding his head. He looked sickly pale, but determined.

“I’ve you ever had your ears pierced before?” Cad asked.

Caleb shook his head. “My ears? Nein.”

“Nine times?” Jester said said with a mock gasp.

Caleb gave her a glare. “I meant I’ve never had them pierced.” His glare softened though.

“Well, it’s super easy and not that big of a thing,” Jester said.

“I know,” Caleb said, but his eyes were locked on the needle in Cad’s hands. It was a fresh clean one so that they didn’t have to worry about getting each other sick.

Nott sat close to Caleb. “Do you want me to hold your hand during this?”

Caleb nodded and took her hand in his.

“Alright, so here’s the ice,” Jester said and gently pressed it against his ear, but he flinched away. “Oh Caleb, are you scared?”

He hung his head down low. “A little.”

“There’s nothing to be scared of Caleb, but it’s okay to be nervous. I was super scared the first time I got my ears pierced, but I wanted to do it anyways so I could be pretty like my mama,” Jester said.

“So what did you do?” Nott asked prompting her to continue.

Jester grinned at her. “My mama held me in her lap and sang to my favorite songs. I didn’t even notice when they pierced my ears. Would you like me to do that for you?”

Caleb lifted his head timidly. “You would sing for me?” he asked.

“Sure! You can even sit in my lap if you’d like.”

Caleb’s face turned bright hot red. “Nein, that’s fine. Just the singing will be enough for me.”

Jester smiled. “That’s fine with me. Do you have a favorite song?”

“Nein, not really,” Caleb said.

Cad looked like he was thinking hard. “There was that one your mother sang,” he said to Jester, “it was pretty.”

Jester clapped her hands. “You’re right. That’s the perfect song for Caleb!” She began humming the tune finding it easy on her lips and then sang the words.

Caleb noticeably relaxed, closing his eyes and allowing Jester to numb his ear. Cad leaned forward and poked the needle through Caleb’s ear. Flinching hard, Caleb’s eyes flew open full of panic. “Take it out, take it out!” He shook and clawed at his ear. Jeste grabbed his hands and pulled them away gently.

“Caleb, Caleb, it’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you,” she said looking him in the eye. Cad pulled out the needle and quickly cast a healing spell on Caleb’s ear closing the hole. “Okay, Caleb, it’s gone. You’re okay.” Jester let go of his wrists and stepped away from him giving Caleb space.

Caleb was breathing hard and scratching at his arms. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take it. I’m sorry.” Tears leaked out of his eyes.

Nott dabbed his face dry. “No, no, it’s okay. You were very brave to try.”

“That’s right,” Jester said staring at Caleb’s scarred arms. At all the tiny little puncture wounds that dotted them. She couldn’t help but wonder if the needle that made them was similar to the one Cad used.

Caleb shook his head. “No, it’s not. You wasted a spell on me and will have to pierce my ear all over again. I won’t be weak again.”

“You don’t have to do this again,” Cad said. “No one will judge you for opting out.”

Nott nodded holding his hand again. “That’s right, and you have Message so you don’t really need the earring. I’ll just Message you and you can reply to me.”

“It’s weak.” Caleb hunched down weighed with shame.

Jester shook her head. “If I were too scared to get my ears pierced, would you be mad at me?”

“Nein, but you’re very brave. And you got yours done first,” Calb said. “I can do this.”

“But you don’t have to,” Jester said, “Nott was right. You don’t need to have the earring.”

Cale still looked unconvinced.

Nott took both his hands. “Would you make me go underwater?”

“But we did, multiple times,” Caleb pointed out. “I have to do this.”

Cad hummed. “I have a spell that might help with this. Something to keep your emotions calm. Would you like it?”

Caleb nodded. “Ja, I would.”

“Alright then,” Cad said. He cast the spell and Jester could feel herself relaxing.

“Can you sing for me again?” Caleb asked.

Jester nodded and sang as she iced his ear. The piercing went smoothly this time and the communication earring was soon sitting in his ear. “See,” Caleb said, “that’s not so bad.”

* * *

It was in his flesh. Caleb was constantly aware of the earring. Of its weight, of its cold metal, of how it was pierced into him. He hated every second of it. But it was necessary. It was for the good of the group. If he didn’t have it, then he was disconnected from the rest of them and couldn’t help them when they needed it. So Caleb put up with it.

But it was so distracting. He could barely listen to conversations and focusing on reading was no longer an option. Caleb had to keep stopping himself from grabbing it and ripping it out of his ear, but all that would do was disappoint his friends.

Nott, Jester, and Caduceus kept watching Caleb making everything even harder. Like they were expecting him to break at any given moment. Caleb would shove his hands deeper into his pockets whenever any of them looked at him.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Nott asked.

Caleb nodded trying to ignore the way the weight in his ear moved. "Ja, I'm doing fine, Nott."

"Well, just checking. Do you want to be alone tonight or double up like old times?" Nott asked.

"I'm fine to sleep on my own. There's nothing for you to worry about."

Nott frowned but she nodded anyways. "Well, okay then. Goodnight, Cay."

"Goodnight, Nott."

* * *

Caleb woke up screaming and with a throbbing pain in his ear. "TAKE THEM OUT!" It was dark in his room and he couldn't see a thing, but he was alone and there was something small in his hand. Tiny really. He had to pinch it to pick it up.

The door to his room flung open and Nott was there with her crossbow. "AAAAHHHHHH!!!"

"It's alright, Nott," Caleb said. "Just a bad dream."

Nott stared at him her eyes huge and wide. "You're bleeding."

"I'm what?" It was only then that Caleb noticed that his hands were wet. He cast dancing lights and lit the room. Blood painted his fingers and he held his earring.

"Oh, Caleb," Nott said softly.

Caleb stared at the earring. It was such a small thing, but he couldn't even handle that much. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We'll get Jester or Cad for you and they can heal you up," Nott said.

He shook his head. "I don’t want to bother them."

"Bother who?" Jester said with a yawn. "I heard something from upstairs and wanted to check on it." Beau was behind her yawning with her staff ready.

"Was there an attack?" Beau asked.

Caleb shook his head again. "Nein, it was merely a nightmare."

"Oh, Caleb you're bleeding!" Jester went straight towards him already prepping a healing spell for him.

"It's fine, I'm fine," Caleb said. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Jester pouted. "Yes it is! If you're hurt, it's my job to heal you."

"That's a first," Nott muttered earning a glare from Jester.

"Here. It won't take much to heal you up," Jester said gently touching Caleb's ear healing it. "Your earring must've gotten caught on something and got pulled out."

Caleb opened his mouth to correct her, but stopped himself. "Ja, that's exactly what happened."

"It won't do you any good if your earring keeps getting pulled out," Jester said. "So maybe it's better if we don't pierce your ears again."

He nodded feeling pathetic. It was such a simple thing, but he couldn't even handle that much. "Ja, maybe you're right."

Beau clapped Caleb on the shoulder. "It didn't fit your nerdy bookworm look anyways." She followed Jester out of his room.

"Do you want me to stay?" Nott asked.

Caleb nodded silently gathering her into his arms. She was so much braver and stronger than him.

* * *

A few days later, Jester was all grins jumping from foot to foot in front of Caleb's door. "Do you need something?" he asked. Caduceus was standing behind her along with Nott.

"So, remember how the earring didn't fit in your ear right?" Jester asked.

Caleb looked down rubbing his arm. "Ja, I do."

"Right, so we were thinking that it was still super important for you to hear us, but the earring really wasn't an option. So we got you this!" Jester handed him a small box. "Go on! Open it."

"Alright, but this better not be a prank for the Traveler." Caleb carefully opened the box and stared at the ear cuff laying in it. It was silver and relatively simple with a single red gem in the middle of it. The red gem from the communication earring. He looked up at his grinning friends.

"See," Jester said, "you don't have to get your ear pierced to wear it."

Nott nodded. "Yeah, you just slide it over your ear and it stays in place."

"The jeweler said it should still work with the rest of ours," Caduceus said pointing at it.

"You really didn't have to do this," Caleb said staring at the ear cuff.

Caduceus grinned easily. “It was a fun project.”

Jester nodded. “Besides, you’re our friend. Now we can talk to you no matter what time it is.”

“Ear cuffs are a much better look for you anyways,” Nott said.

Caleb slipped the ear cuff on with a smile. “How do I look?”


End file.
